Latest News from Equality Now - May 2013

Action Update: US - Sexual Assault in the Military"When even those in charge of sexual assault prevention in the US military are sexually assaulting servicewomen, it sends a clear signal that current efforts to address the epidemic are not being taken seriously. This culture of impunity is getting worse—perpetrators must be held accountable, now." —Shelby Quast, Senior Policy Advisor, Equality Now

On 7 May, the Department of Defense released a study that reported the shocking rise of sexual assaults in every branch of the military. Around the same time that the study was released, three US Army and Air Force sexual assault prevention officers were accused of perpetrating sex crimes or domestic violence. We therefore welcomed the 16 May introduction of the Military Justice Improvement Act of 2013 by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a bi-partisan bill which would remove the power to prosecute sexual assault from military commanders and transfer it to professional prosecutors. Equality Now and our partner SWAN have been consistently advocating for this change to ensure that sexual assault victims have access to justice in the military. We are following the bill’s progression closely, and will update you when it’s up for vote. In the meantime, please continue to support our campaign calling for reform of the military justice system.

We are honored to co-chair the Board of Directors of Equality Now, and welcome the opportunity to guide and grow the organization. Together, with the leadership, staff and partners of Equality Now, and with you, our supporters and members, we want to position Equality Now as the most recognized and effective organization helping women and girls around the world.

In the coming years, we hope to expand the organization’s size and global reach by establishing a presence in Asia and Latin America, and strengthen our support for women in the Middle East and North Africa, by opening an office there. We are also working to improve our development and communication efforts and to bring Equality Now firmly into the digital age. Our image may change somewhat in the future, but rest assured that our mission will remain the same.

We are dedicated to help create a world where women’s rights are fully ensured and where gender equality is recognized as an end in and of itself, and a means to assure peace and prosperity for all. Help us fulfill our mission. Let your voices be heard. Support Equality Now in your actions and words. Help us make a difference.

Thank you for your involvement, trust and support. We are confident that together we will succeed in expanding the work of Equality Now globally and establish enduring equality for women and girls everywhere.

Colette De Troy has been a member of Equality Now’s Board of Directors since 2002.Sue Smalley, Ph.D. was elected to Equality Now’s Board of Directors in 2011 and joined in 2012.

Media sexism report featured in popular textbookEquality Now, Eaves, EVAW and Object were pleased to learn that our joint report on the representation of women in the UK press, ‘Just the Women’, will be referenced in the new edition of bestselling A-Level and undergraduate sociology textbook, Sociology Themes and Perspectives. The coalition’s report, published 25 November 2012, examines how crimes of violence against women are reported, how women are portrayed more broadly, and the general invisibility of women in public discourse.

Chime for Justice with Equality NowWe’re proud to partner with Catapult and Chime for Change to bring attention to women’s and girls’ issues globally. Following the 1 June concert in London, fans have a month to decide where their money goes to support projects submitted by NGOs. Equality Now has several projects in the running which we’ll be posting and tweeting about. Please help us spread the word by sharing our messages and our projects (scroll to the bottom of the page).